9th C. Islamic Glass Eye Bead Necklace - Superb!

Ancient Near East, Islamic Period, ca. 9th to 13th century CE. A fabulous necklace of a wearable form composed of 91 spherical glass beads in hues of cobalt-blue, turquoise, teal, and sage. Petite circles of either white, blue, or yellow glass 'eyes' - hence the name 'eye bead' - peek out from almost every bead, with only a handful that are unadorned. Some beads are embellished with teal and yellow glass, and a few others boast vivid vermilion glass that elegantly contrasts against their aqua-hued bodies. An excellent and wearable example of ancient art combined with modern fashion! Size (necklace): 45" L (114.3 cm); size of largest bead: 0.625" W x 0.55" H (1.6 cm x 1.4 cm).

For a few stylistically-similar examples of eye beads carved from lapis lazuli, please see: Dubin, Lois Sherr. "The History of Beads: From 100,000 B.C. to the Present - Revised and Expanded Edition." Abrams, New York, 2009, p. 96, fig. 84.

Provenance: ex-private San Francisco, California, USA collection, acquired in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA; ex-private collection, purchased in the 1980s

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#148854
Condition Report: Strung in modern times and wearable as shown. Glass beads are ancient, and necklace strand is modern. Minor nicks to some beads, with losses to 'eye' components of a few beads, and light encrustations within suspension holes and within recessed areas. Nice earthen deposits throughout.